is there an appetizer than defines your childhood? one that you remember gathering around with family, immediate and/or distant, and noshing on, and catching up, and just having a good time? well, i do, and it was a salad dressing brand's leek soup packet that my mom mixed with sour cream and cream cheese to make an onion-y dip. she served it alongside cape cod potato chips, and it is one of my favorite food memories. my aunt would serve a similar dip at thanksgiving and christmas, so there's all sorts of nostalgic memories of my cousins and me sitting around eating chips 'n dip. i've wanted to recreate a new, vegan/dairy-free version of a traditional onion dip for a long time. whenever i did though the flavor was never right, and i couldn't really do the original recipe any justice.

but with the uptick of really good, tasty, vegan cream cheese brands on the market, i though i'd give it another go. here, there's some vegan cream cheese blended together with soaked cashews, and then mixed with sautéed, melty spring onions. it sets in the fridge and chills for few hours (or overnight), and while it's doing that, the onion flavor is developing a bit deeper as well. you can then serve it with anything you love to dip: chips, crackers, etc. i served with some lightly steamed broccoli rabe and green beans, sliced cucumber spears, and of course, potato chips. it's a pretty straightforward, and definitely a reliable little dish to fall back on when you're heading to a potluck, or having a get-together.

i shared this recipe, along with 2 others (a cashew cream of fennel & pea soup, and falafel-spiced cauliflower wraps - photos below), with my email list, in my first ever "seasonal recipe bundle". my idea behind it is to send out 3 recipes at the beginning of each season to inspire some seasonal cooking. transitions are always a tricky thing, and moving from winter to spring is especially different depending on what part of the country you live in (or world!). so, i created 3 recipes that could easily have a place at the table anywhere, and in any climate. so, if you want to sign up there's still time. you will be sent this (spring) recipe bundle as well as future recipe bundles, my photo guides, and other relevant news :) you can sign up here if you like :) and if you are on my email list, and haven't made this dip yet, then consider this the most subtle nudge to do so ;) if there's a savory spring recipe to make on my site, this one's it!

big, big love to you all!

**and be sure to tag me @dollyandoatmeal when you're making any recipes from the site or my book! i love regramming you all on instagram stories! xo!

spring onion dip | v & gf

this dip is best served cold, right out of the refrigerator. i prefer making this at least 1-2 days prior to serving it, only to maximize the flavor.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped spring onions

1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight or at least 2 hours

fine sea salt

1/2 cup vegan cream cheese (such as kite hill)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon gluten-free tamari

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup filtered water, plus more if necessary

chives, for garnish

method

heat a large skillet over medium heat. add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add the onion, and a few pinches of salt, stir. cook the onions for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes until they are very soft and melty. transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool.

meanwhile, add the cashews, cream cheese, lemon juice, vinegar, tamari, garlic powder, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the container of an upright blender (preferably high-speed). whiz everything together on high, scraping down the sides until the dip and smooth and creamy. taste and adjust the salt and/or lemon juice, as needed.

pour the dip into a bowl, and fold in the onions.

transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight to really develop the onion flavor.

serve with sliced veggies, chips, crackers, etc.! store the dip in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 4 days.

spring is definitely here in LA. (and i say this with the deepest acknowledgment that so many of you are still feeling the wrath of winter-spring snowstorms, or just general yucky weather. this former, life-long new yorker gets it - i am with you!) and i can't believe it, but we're coming up on a whole year of living in southern california. i feel like i'm just beginning to feel a real vibrational shift in the seasons though. maybe it was daylight savings that tipped the scale, maybe the almost 2 weeks of on-and-off rain; but there is green grass, birds happily chirping, and weeds! i never thought i would miss weeds, but i do/did! most neighbors are trimming them down, but for a few days these lovely, untamed, wild shrubs were lining the sidewalks, and it made me the happiest :)

i decided to keep this week's recipe a, not-so-seasonal recipe. we're all experiencing so many various climates depending on where we live that i didn't want to hit you with a salad, or some sort of asparagus recipe when you have snow coming down outside. so i thought something we could all get behind is chocolate!

these delicious granola bars come from jessica merchant's newest book, the pretty dish. they're pretty low maintenance as far as granola bars go, in that they're a no-bake situation, and they're also made with mostly pantry ingredients. i would say these came together in about 30 minutes from start to finish. out of the amazing 150 recipes in jessica's book, i was drawn to this one, particularly because it uses tahini, giving them a beautiful flavor. i think so many of us think of tahini as a savory ingredient, but it pairs so incredibly well in sweeter dishes, especially with the chocolate here. the recipe also makes a generous amount, certainly enough for the entire week. these impressive little granola bars check the box on just about any list you may have, including that i swapped some ingredients to give the bars a lower glycemic index. and i also went ahead and swapped the butter for coconut oil, making them vegan. (you can see my notes at the bottom of the ingredient list.)

big spring hugs! xo

**and be sure to tag @dollyandoatmeal when you're making any recipes from the site or my book! i love regramming you all on instagram stories! xo!

chocolate-drizzled tahini granola bars

see my notes at the bottom of the ingredient list for a vegan, and low glycemic version.

method

line a 13" x 9" dish with parchment paper. spray the paper with cooking spray.

in a saucepan, heat the butter, tahini, honey, and sugar over low heat. whisk until the butter melts, the sugar dissolves, and the mixture is warm. remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

in a large bowl, stir together the oats, cereal, flaxseed, chia seeds, hemp hearts, and salt. pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently combine until everything is moistened. press the the mixture into the pan. drizzle with the melted chocolate. sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top. refrigerate the bar for 4 hours, or until set.

remove from the fridge and lift the parchment out of the dish. slice the bars into squares or triangles.

i feel like a carrot cake has a time and a place. while i really do love it, there's only certain times during the year i really think about wanting a piece. and since there are zero carrot cake recipes gracing the cake section of this blog, i wanted to remedy that since i love, love, love this recipe, and i think you will too!

carrot cake may be one of the best ways to celebrate the spring season. mostly because i feel like it has two identities. one of them being a very spring-filled cake, with notions of baby bunnies, and sprouting carrots. the second one being, a warm, spice-filled cake that would normally have a place in the winter-time. but it turns out it's the perfect segue cake, seamlessly taking us from winter to spring.

however, for this cake, i minimized the spices and left just enough cinnamon as a nod to its traditional flavor. the flavor maker here is coconut. i personally love how carrots and coconut taste together (in just about every application, savory or sweet), and thought a coconut carrot cake would be so, so right! i've added toasted coconut to the batter, which gives it a subtle, toasty coconut flavor but also lends a really great texture. and there's some coconut extract in the frosting which is a (dairy-free) cream cheese-based frosting, and i cannot even describe how good it is. it's the perfect mix of tangy and sweet, and then the coconut extract just adds a little zing.

wishing you all the loveliest holiday weekend! xo!

**and be sure to tag @dollyandoatmeal when you're making any recipes from the site or my book! i love regramming you all on instagram stories! xo!

Coconut Carrot Sheet Cake | GF & DF

this cake is great to make ahead if you need to. i made it, wrapped it in plastic wrap and foil, then froze it. i took it out of the freezer and placed it in the refrigerator the day before i planned to prepare and serve it. on the day of i removed it from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about an hour. then i frosted it, and served it. easy-breezy :)

*to make powdered monkfruit sweetener: in a high speed blender, whiz 1/2 granulated monkfruit sweetener on high for 25-30 seconds, until completely powdered. store leftovers in an airtight container.

method

preheat oven to 350°F. grease and line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over two sides to make "wings".

in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, arrowroot powder, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

in another large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil, until combined. whisk in the eggs, carrots, applesauce, and vanilla, until combined. a little at a time, mix the dry ingredients into the wet, until everything is combined. then, fold in the coconut, walnuts and poppy seeds.

use a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly into the pan. bake in the center of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

cool the cake on a rack.

when the cake is completely cooled, use a thin knife and run it around the sides of the cake to loosen it. then use the parchment paper "wings" to carefully lift the cake from the pan.

make the frosting. using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, shortening, sugar, syrup, and extracts, until smooth and fluffy.

use an offset spatula to frost the cake. top with toasted coconut, chopped walnuts, and poppy seeds. slice into 12 pieces and serve. store leftover in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.